Exhibiting lack of sensitivity towards acid attack victims and in complete disregard for the Supreme Court's consistent rulings to severely punish jilted lovers who use acid against girls, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has allowed an acid attack case convict to walk free after just one month in jail.Attacked with acid in 2003 by one G Eswara Rao for declining his marriage proposal, an indelibly scarred woman went through gruelling court proceedings in the trial court and high court for 13 years only to realize that the convict would walk free as he had undergone one month imprisonment.
The state had appealed against the trial court verdict to impose only one year sentence on Rao. After the HC did not entertain the state's appeal and, in fact, took into account the convict's plea to reduce his sentence to the period already undergone, the state gave up and did not appeal against the HC order in the SC.
Now, she has moved the SC through advocate Aparna Bhat and expressed shock and dismay at the lenient sentence imposed by the HC on Rao, who was convicted by the trial court in 2007.
After the Nirbhaya gang rape-cum-murder case, Parliament in 2013 had amended the criminal law to provide for stringent punishment for crimes against woman. Section 326A of the IPC made acid attack on woman punishable with a minimum of 10 years imprisonment and mandated the convict to bear the expenses of treatment of the victim.
The SC had time and again reiterated the need for just punishment in heinous crimes. Surprisingly , here, the trial court as well as the HC agreed that mere pouring of acid could not take away the life of a person and acquitted Rao of attempt to murder charge.
The woman has sought enhancement of punishment on the convict.
The state had appealed against the trial court verdict to impose only one year sentence on Rao. After the HC did not entertain the state's appeal and, in fact, took into account the convict's plea to reduce his sentence to the period already undergone, the state gave up and did not appeal against the HC order in the SC.
Now, she has moved the SC through advocate Aparna Bhat and expressed shock and dismay at the lenient sentence imposed by the HC on Rao, who was convicted by the trial court in 2007.
After the Nirbhaya gang rape-cum-murder case, Parliament in 2013 had amended the criminal law to provide for stringent punishment for crimes against woman. Section 326A of the IPC made acid attack on woman punishable with a minimum of 10 years imprisonment and mandated the convict to bear the expenses of treatment of the victim.
The SC had time and again reiterated the need for just punishment in heinous crimes. Surprisingly , here, the trial court as well as the HC agreed that mere pouring of acid could not take away the life of a person and acquitted Rao of attempt to murder charge.
The woman has sought enhancement of punishment on the convict.
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